Yes or No to Statins

The pharmaceutical companies are trying to get everyone on statins as a precaution against heart problems. However is this really the way to go? They obviously don’t mention the appalling side effects including kidney failure, heart failure, motor neurone disease and even cancer? Well why would they, no-one would even consider taking them.

Yes, statins do lower cholesterol in those people with high cholesterol, but, infact, how many people really need to lower their cholesterol when the evidence shows that 75 per cent of people who suffered a heart attack actually have normal levels of cholesterol?

Other side effects from cholesterol lowering statins may be depression and mental health problems.

The brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ in the body, because it is required for communication between nerve cells and therefore brain function. So if cholesterol is lowered too much it may affect the functioning of the brain and lead to confusion, depression and in one review low levels were associated with suicide, aggressive and violent behaviour, personality disorders and dementia. There is some evidence that lowering cholesterol with statins can cause bleeding in the brain.

So, we have found out that low levels of cholesterol may lead to brain dysfunctions, there is also growing evidence to show that low levels of cholesterol can also lead to cancer, motor neurone disease a greater risk of death!

So how can you keep your cholesterol at its optimum level, here are 4 ways.

1. Cut out all hydrogenated or trans fats from your diet. These are in processed foods and cured meat, processed cheese and other processed dairy products, cakes, biscuits, pastries, tortilla chips and wraps, chicken nuggets, bought pies and some margarines.
2. Take B6, B12 and Folic acid ic acid as it lowers your homocysteine levels, an amino acid that when elevated has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
3. Take omega 3 fatty acids, it’s a great anti inflammatory.
4. Keep the inflammation in your body down by keeping your body more alkaline (lots of green vegetables) and avoiding all sugar which is an inflammatory food.